


too small for any hope or promise

by Murf1307



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Missing Scene, Pre-Slash, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 13:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13660152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murf1307/pseuds/Murf1307
Summary: When Marlene is kidnapped by Shinra, Cloud tries to comfort Barret, the only way he knows how: awkwardly.  The evening at the Gold Saucer has already gone badly enough, so it's not like it can get any worse, right?





	too small for any hope or promise

It’s surreal, walking back to the hotel, knowing that Marlene’s in danger.  Shinra played them all for fools, and now Barret and his daughter might pay the price.

Cloud keeps glancing at Barret during the walk back to the Ghost Hotel, trying to gauge what to do next.  Barret looks furious, but also like he’s hiding the depth of it, holding himself back.

The worst part of all of this is that Cloud wishes he didn’t have to.  

It’s not  _ fair _ .  And sure, their lives have never been fair, and Shinra has always played with a stacked deck.

But this is something on another level.  This strikes at the core, and Cloud wishes more than anything that Barret could strike back exactly the way he wants to.  

He sticks a little closer.  Tonight’s been kind of a shit-show, start to finish, and he doesn’t know what he can say to soften it a little, to maybe comfort Barret if he can.  All he knows is that all of this is exactly the opposite of what he wanted when he stepped out of his hotel room tonight.

As they reach the door of the hotel, Cloud pauses.  “Barret?”

“Yeah?”  His voice is a low rumble, forced quiet, Cloud thinks.

“We’re gonna get her back,” Cloud says, swallowing. “I promise.  We will.”  He reaches out, putting a hand on the barrel of Barret’s gun.  

Barret pulls away, sharply.  “Ain’t no other option.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Cloud takes a deep breath.  “Do you want some more company?  I’m probably not gonna fall asleep anytime soon.”

“You sure?”  

Cloud nods.  “Yeah.  I — I’m worried about you, man.”

Barret blinks at him, like he’s surprised to hear that.  Then, he stiffens, getting defensive.  “I’m not gonna run out in the middle of the night, or something,” he says, glaring down at Cloud.

“That’s not what I mean,” Cloud says.  “Just.  This is really shitty for you specifically.  So.  Wanna know if I can help.”

He's really bad at this, at offering comfort.  It makes him uneasy.

Plus, this is sort of his fault, isn't it?  He's the one who first met Aerith, and rescuing her is where all of this started.  That's how it feels, anyway.

Barret relaxes, just a little.  “I don't know.  Just.  She's all I got.”

“Yeah.  You said that.” Cloud exhales, then changes the subject.  “So, uh.  Wanna tell me why you asked me to join you, tonight?”

Maybe the awkwardness of  _ that _ will help distract Barret from the absolute shittiness of the current situation.

Barret looks down and away.  “Why’d  _ you  _ wanna go on the cable car?”

“Hey, you said you wanted privacy.” Cloud hopes the low lighting in this part of the Saucer will hide the flush he feels on his cheeks.

“Yeah, well, not like it was the  _ only  _ option,” Barret rebuts.

“So?” Cloud has no idea where this is going, how to read Barret’s responses.  “What's the matter with a cable car and fireworks?”

Barret looks away, and then back at him.  It's...definitely  _ something _ , this quiet tension in the air between them.  Cloud wants to reach for him again, to see what he does, but he can't take the risk, in the end.

Finally, Barret looks away again, setting his jaw.  “Can we...can we not do this now?”

Cloud nods.  “No, yeah, okay.  That's fine.”

It's a bad time to hash this out  _ for real _ .  If it was a joke, well, it’d come out by now.  But it's not, whatever this is.

And Cloud is more than willing to wait.


End file.
